Door latch



1,522,628 A. w. HOLT noon LATCH,

Filed D90. 27, 1921 Patented Jan. 13, 1925. 522,628

wait a era-"res ears "r sates.

ANNO'N W. HOLT, OF MENOMONIE, WISCONSIN.

DOOR LATCH.

Application filed December 2'7, 1921. Serial No. 524,901.

To all whom it may concern: Fig. 10 is a modification showing a dif- Be it known that I, ANNoN 1V. HOLT, a ferent arrangement for releasably holding citizen of the United States, residing at the inside knob on the shaft. Menomonie, in the county of Dunn and State Referring first to the'invention shown in of lVisconsin, have invented certain new and Figs. 1 to 7, inclusive, the numeral 11 in useful Improvements in Door Latches; and dicates a door which may be assumed to be I do hereby declare the following. to be ahinged for outward swinging-movement and full, clear, and exact description of thexinprovided with a mortise latch 12. This latch vention, such as will enable othersskilled 12 is provided with the customary sleeve- 60 in the art to which it appertains to make like latch bolt actuating member 13 having and use the same. anaXial passageway that is square in cross My present invention relates to door section to receive a correspondingly formed latches of the type disclosed and broadly knob equipped operating. shaft. Formed claimed in my U. S. Letters Patent No. with the member 13' are the ordinary op- 65 15 1,887,888 issued August'16', 1921, and has for positely projecting latch bolt operating lugs its object to improve the same in the several or pins 14 and which member isyieldingly particulars hereinafter noted. held in an intermediate position by a spring, To the above end, the invention consists not shown. As is well known, the latch bolt of the novel devices and combinations of' of'such a latch is spring-projected and ar- 70 devices hereinafter described and defined in ranged to be cammed into aretracted posithe claims. tion by engagement with a latch plate on In the accompanying drawings, which the door frame, during the closing moveillustrate the invention, like characters inment of a door, without turning the knobdicate like parts throughoutthe several equipped operating shaft. To retract the views. latch bolt, it is necessary to turn the knob- Referring to the drawings: equipped shaft and thereby cause a turning Fig. 1 is afragmentary view, principally movement ofthe member 13and its lugs 14 in vertical section, taken through a doorand which are connected to said latch bolt. The mortise-latch having the invention embodied parts thusfar described are of standard and so therein, said invention being'designed for a well known construction.

door hinged to swinginward; The member 13 is held in a latch casing Fi nv 2 is a view corresponding to Fig- 1 against axial movement, by co-operating with the exception that the inner knob has flanges 15 on said member and latch casing, been shifted into a position to lock the op but is free to turn. Secured to each side of 85 erating shaft; the door 11, is an escutcheon 16 having an Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the operatannular socket 17 axially aligned with the ing shaft; member 13 and a bore in the door 11 and Fig. 4 is a view, principally in transverse apertures-in the escutcheons 16. As shown, section, taken on the line 4-4.- of Fig. 2; the sockets- 17 are independentlyformedin 9Q Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the inside respectto the escutcheon 16'and are secured knob; thereto by contractinggtheir inner end por- Fig. 6 is "a view, principally in transverse tionsxto afford shoulders insaid escutcheons section, taken on;the line 66-of Fig. 1; inserting: the same'through the apertures Fig. is a'fra'gmentary view of theins and then' upsettingthe same on the inner 4r side escutcheon; faces of'said escutcheons.

Fig. 8 is a view showing the invention The operating: shaft, heretofore menmod1fied for use on a door hinged to swing tioned and on which the member 13 is outward; mounted, is indlcated by the numeral 18, and

Fig. 9 is an elevation of the knob shown in on the ends thereof, are applied outer and 0 Fig, 8. with some parts broken away and inner knobs19 and 20, respectively, the necksecti'oned and I portions of which extend into the sockets 17. Both knobs 19 and 20 are formed from pressed sheet metal and have rigidly secured in their neck portions, case cores 21 and 22, respectively.

The core 21 is of standard construction and has an axial passageway, which is square in cross section, to receive the outer end of the operating shaft 18 for common turning movement therewith, but with freedom for axial sliding movement thereon. A screw 23 inserted through aligned bores in the neck portion of the knob 19 and the core 21 has screw-threaded engagement with any one of a plurality of transverse longitudinally spaced bores 24 in the operating shaft 18. By means of these bores 24, the outer knob 19 may be adjustably connected to the shaft 18, thereby making the same applicable to. doors of different thicknesses. The operating shaft 18 is held against endwise movement, in respect to the door 11, by the neck portion of the knob 19, which engages the shoulder on the respective socket 17, and a pin 25 which extends transversely through the operating shaft 18 and has engagement with the member 13.

The core 22 which forms an important part of my present invention, is provided with an axial passageway which is square in cross-section and in which the inner end of the operating shaft 18 slidably extends for common rotation therewith. This core 22 is secured to the neck portion of the inner knob 20 by a screw 26. To releasably con' nect the knob 20 to the operating shaft 18 in different longitudinal adjustments thereon, there is mounted in a recess 27 in the core 22, a V-shaped spring 28, the intermediate portion of which normally projects into the axial passageway in the said core for engagement with any one of a pluralityo'f longitudinally spaced transverse lock notches 29 formed in the several sides of the operating shaft 18.

The outer end of the core 22 is reduced to form a hub 30 which extends outward of the neck portion. of the knob 20 and has formed therewith, a pair of diametrically opposite lock lugs 31 and a pair of diametrically opposite stop lugs 32, located 180 degrees from said lock lugs. It will be noted that the lock lugs 32 are at the inner end of the hubs 30 and the stop lugs 32 are at the outer end thereof and axially spaced therefrom. The stop lugs 32 are located inward of the inner escutcheon 16 and are arranged to'engage the inner end portion of the respective socket 17 as a positive stop to limit the outward axial movement of the knob 20 on the shaft 18. p

To secure the operating shaft 18 against rotation, and thereby secure the door 11 locked close, there is formedin the inner escutcheon 16 and the attached portion of the respective socket 17 a pair of diametrically opposite lock notches or seats 33 adapted to receive the lock lugs 31 when the knob 20 is moved axially on the operating shaft toward the door 11 and into a position, as shown in Fig. 2. With the inner knob 20 thus adjusted, the door 11 cannot then be opened from the outside for the reason that the knob 19 is held against turning movement by the interlocking engagement of the lock lugs 31 with the lock seats 33.

To close and lock the door 11 from the inside, the occupant of the room takes hold of the knob 20, swings the door to a closed position, which causes the spring projected latch bolt to automatically interlock with the latch plate on the door frame in the customary manner. Then by a pressure on the knob 20 toward the door the spring 28 is cammed out of the engaged lock notch 29 and said knob moved axially on the operating shaft 18 which carries the lock lugs 31 into interlocked engagement with the lock notches 33 thereby prevents the door from being opened from the outside.

To unlock the door 11, it is only necessary for the occupant of the room to draw the knob 20 axially away from the door 11 to slide the same on the operating shaft 18 and thereby withdraw the lock lugs 31 from the lock notches 33 to permit either of knobs 19 and 20 to be turned and thereby withdraw the latch bolt from the latch plate on the door frame and permit the door to be opened. During the outward sliding movement of the knob 20 on the operating shaft 20, the same is stopped by the engagement of the spring 28 with the lock notch 29 in the respective side of the operating shaft 18, which properly positions the lock lugs 31 and the stop lugs 32' to permit free rotation of the hub 30 in the respective escutcheon 16. Further outward movement of the knob 20, which would tend to cam the spring 28 out of the engaged lock notch 29, is prevented by the engagement of' the stop lugs 32 with the respective socket 17.

Inassembling the door latch, the screws which hold the inner eseutcheon in position are temporarily omitted so that said escntcheon may be held at an angle to permit the stop lugs 32 to be inserted through the lock notches 33. After the inner escutcheon 16 is secured in position by its screws, the latch mechanism will prevent the knob 20 from being turned into a position in which the stop lugs 32 will register with the lock notches 33 and thereby render said stop lugs v inoperative.

In case a child or other person should lock the door from the inside, and could not open the same, said door could be opened from the outside by taking out the screw 23 and removing the knob 19. iVith the knob 19 removed, the operating shaft 18' may be moved endwise toward the door 11 to withdraw the locklugs 31 from the lock seats 33 and then rotated to operate the lock mechanism and unlock the door.

\Vhen the knob is adjusted as shown in Figs. land 8, the door 11 can always be opened from the outsideof the room by op; erating the knob 19 in the customary manner.

Referring now to the invention as shown in Figs. 8 and 9 the same is designed for use on a door hinged to swing outward. In this construction, a pair of diametrically op posite lock lugs 34f are formed on the outer end of the hub and when the latch is unlocked, extend on the inside of the inner escutcheon 16. hen closing the door, by taking hold of the knob 20, a continued pull on the knob after the door is closed will cause said knob to move axially on the operating shaft 18 and thereby carry the lock lugs 34f into interlocked engagement with the lock seats 33. A stop washer 35 is secured to the inner end of the hub 30 for engagement with the respective socket 17 to prevent the lock lug 34 from being drawn outward through the lock seats 33 and thereby permit the removal of the knob 20 from the operating shaft 18.

In the modification shown in Fig. 10, the spring 28 is mounted in a recess 36 formed in the operating shaft 18 and arranged to enter a lock notch 37 in the core 22.

The invention may be embodied in ordinary door latches now commonly used with very little work and expense simply by substituting the operating shaft 18 for the ordinary operating shaft, and in removing the core from one of the knobs and substituting the core 22 therefor. It will also be necessary to cut or otherwise form the lock seats 33 in the inner escutcheon 16.

What I claim is:

l. A latch having a latch bolt operating member. a shaft operating said member and positively held against endwise movement, and knobs both rotatable with the shaft, the one knob being positively held against axial movement and the other knob being axially movable toward and from said other knob from operative to inoperative positions.

2. A. latch having a latch bolt operating member. a shaft operating said member and positively held against axial movement, and a knob on each end of the shaft and rot-atable therewith, one of said knobs being secured to the shaft against axial movement thereon and the other of said knobs being axially movable on the shaft from operative to inoperative positions.

A latch having a latch bolt operating member, a shaft operating said member and positively held against axial movement, a knob on each end of the shaft and rotatable therewith, one of said knobs being secured to the shaft against axial movement there both rotatable with the 1; A latch having-amember, a shaft operating said member and.

held" against endwise movement, and knobs both rotatable with the shaft, the one knob being held against axial movement and the other knob being axially movable toward and from said other knob from operative to inoperative positions, said axially movable knob being provided with a removable core having a lock element.

5. A latch having a latch bolt operating member, a shaft operating said member and held against endwise movement, and knobs both rotatable with the shaft, the one knob being held against axial movement and the other knob being axially movable toward and from said other knob from operative to inoperative positions said axially movable knob being provided with a removable core having a lock element, and a stop element.

6. A latch having a latch bolt operating member, a shaft operating said member and positively held against endwise movement,

an escutcheon, and knobs both rotatable with the shaft, the one knob being held against axial movement and the other knob being axially movable toward and from the knob, said axially movable knob and the escutcheon having co-operating separable interlocking elements for holding said shaft and knobs against rotation.

7. A latch having a latch bolt operating member, a shaft operating said member and positively held against endwise movement, an escutcheon, and knobs both rotatable with the shaft, the one knob being held against axial movement and the other knob being axially movable toward and fro-m the knob, said axially movable knob and the escutcheon having co-operating separable interlocking elements for holding said shaft and knobs against rotation, said axially movable knob also having a stop engageable with the escutcheon to limit its axial movement in one direction.

8. A latch having a latch bolt operating member, a shaft operating said member and held against endwise movement, an es cutcheon having a lock notch, and knobs shaft, the one knob being held against axial movement and the other knob being axially movable toward and from the other knob, said axially mov able knob having a removable core provided with a lock lug arranged to enter the lock notch in the escutcheon during the axial movement of the axially movable knob in one direction to lock said shaft and knob against rotation.

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9. A latch having a latch bolt operating member, a shaft operating said member and held against endvvise movement, an escutcheon having a look notch, and knobs both rotatable with the shaft, the one knob being held against axial movement and the other knob being axially movable toward and from the other knob, said axially movable knob having a removable core provided 10 with a lock lug arranged to enter the lock notch in the escutcheon during the axial movement of the axially movable knob in one direction to look said shaft and knob against rotation, said removable core also having a stop arranged to engage the escutcheon to limit the axial movement of the axially movable knob in one direction.

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

ANN ON W. HOLT. 

